We were encouraged by the news that a New York company issued the following statement: "Athenex does not accept orders from correctional facilities and prison systems for products believed to be part of certain states' lethal injection protocols," the company said in the statement. "Further, Athenex distributors and wholesalers have agreements with Athenex not to sell or distribute any such products to these facilities. Athenex does not distribute these products through wholesalers unwilling to implement distribution control to prevent capital punishment." Time and time again one has seen the importance of drug manufacturers taking a stand on state sponsored murder, and one wonders whether that is not where abolition hopes lie rather than with the current U.S. Supreme Court.

Nevada's first inmate execution in 11 years was postponed Thursday after a state court judge ordered a paralytic drug removed from a never-before-used lethal injection plan that also includes the first use by a state of the powerful opioid fentanyl. In this case the inmate is a volunteer which means this would be a case of assisted suicide rather than an execution.

We were delighted to hear from Allen McQueen Librarian at Savery Library at Talladega College that our own Gary Drinkard, who was on our Board while at Holman, will be speaking there on April 19th 2018. Gary is a member of Witness to Innocence and is being sponsored by Witness to Innocence. We will remind you in the new year.

The Board is working hard getting the Christmas edition of Wings of Hope together. The challenge is how to keep it positive without being in denial about the recent losses which cast a long shadow over all of us.

And speaking of Christmas we had a kind inquiry from Pax Christi Alabama about how to send Christmas cards to men on death row. We were glad to help.